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VICTORIA — The B.C. Liberal government uncorked a flood of legislative changes Wednesday, tabling bills that do everything from creating a senior’s advocate to naming the Pacific salmon as B.C.’s provincial fish.

The bills, which come less than a month before the legislature is expected to rise — and therefore may not be passed in time for the May election — included a measure allowing snowbirds to stay out of the province for longer than six months without losing provincial health coverage and one allowing the province to regulate the use of cosmetic pesticides.

There were a total of 15 different legislative changes spread across two bills. Most of the attention was focused on the seniors’ advocate, which critics called a toothless shadow of what the government promised last year.

The advocate will not be an independent officer of the legislature, like the Representative for Children and Youth or the auditor general, who are appointed for a set period of time after a unanimous recommendation from an all-party committee of MLAs.

Instead, if the legislation is passed, the new seniors’ advocate will be hired — and fired — by the provincial cabinet.

“This advocate will make recommendations, will be working collaboratively with government and other agencies, and will be reporting annually to the minister,” said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid.

MacDiarmid added the advocate won’t take on individual cases, but instead will be tasked to look at systemic issues facing seniors.

“To have an advocate that would be taking one-by-one cases is really not realistic,” she said, adding that within 20 years there will be almost 1.3 million seniors in B.C.

“What government really heard very clearly from people is there were broad themes that people were concerned about,” she said.

“It seemed much more to call out for a broad thematic look at issues, and then recommendations to government.”

Art Kube, president of the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of B.C., called the proposed advocate position “window dressing” that won’t have the power to meaningfully address issues of elder abuse.

“If they had listened to the submissions which were brought in when the government was holding hearings, just about in every instance people wanted an independent office,” he said.

The change in Wednesday’s legislation aimed at MSP would allow vacationing snowbirds to stay outside of the province for 30 days longer than they’re allowed to now without losing their health coverage. Under current laws, vacationing British Columbians lose MSP coverage after being away for six months.

If passed, Wednesday’s legislation would also:

— Require boards of education to promote the use of their property by licensed child care providers;

— Allow the Vancouver Bible Institute to grant theological degrees;

— Close a loophole that prevented groups from raising money by auctioning donated liquor

— Give BC Hydro until after the election to develop its plan on new electricity development, so it can determine the potential effect a new liquefied natural gas industry, and;

— Recognize the Pacific Salmon as the fish emblem of British Columbia.

Wednesday’s legislation also allows the province’s Environment Minister to regulate cosmetic pesticides so they can only be used by a licensed professional, a measure critics say falls woefully far short of a provincewide ban that the government once was contemplating.

“We don’t think Bill 8 is going to protect children,” said Gideon Forman, executive director of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

“These chemicals are connected with cancer, they’re connected with birth defects, they’re connected with neurological problems like Parkinson’s disease,” he added. “They’re not made safer by the fact that someone might have a license to use them.”

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